Finish on a "acrylized" fingerboard

First off, yes I do realize that there are threads out there that discuss the need (if any) for a finish on one of these FB's. I still have specific questions, though, that I'm hoping you all can help me with.

I've got an acrylized bubinga fingerboard from Larry that will be going on a 6-string fretless build within the next few months (as soon as it warms up a bit here). At any rate, I'm wanting to be able to get some really bright (almost brittle-sounding) crackling sounds. So, I figure I'd start with brighter strings. Having said that, does anyone think I should put a few coats of something (epoxy, CA glue, other) on the fingerboard to give it a little extra protection? I'm not interested in a high gloss finish on it...I do like that finely sanded and buffed-wood look over the mirror-ish look.

My experience with two basses with acrylized fretboards from Larry is that they do not need any additional finish for durability. I ran both basses with roundwounds and they did not make a mark on the fretboard at all. If you are going for a different sound, then one finish or another may make a difference, but I cannot comment on that.

The acrylized wood requires no finish. It will not take a finish generally and would be like painting plexiglass in regards to adhesion. The wood is brought to a very high gloss (or less if desired) by sanding and buffing. I use Tripoli compound after sanding to 220 grit. The Tripoli compound removes fine scratches without removing material like you'd have buffing with rouge or other metal buffing compounds. The acrylic wood can polished clean if needed.

Exact same process...
vacuum to -15ppi
then they spray the acrylic to infuse the wood.
I think larry may soak his but its the same process regardless.

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Holy crap...don't know how I missed this thread. Out of respect for Paul's CUP policy I've never posted in the main forums before, but this statement is so ridiculously misleading I must just in case anyone reading this thread is naive enough to think this person has any clue of what he's talking about.

Specialty Polymers is the company that produces "WoodSure". WoodSure is the trademarked name for the wood they process and sell. Specialty Polymers is an hours drive from me and I know them well having spent lengthy time talking with Bob McSween who does sales for the WoodSure and glues they manufacture. Good folks. Bob and I have done the "how do you do it" dance off and on and of course their process and mine are very proprietary and somewhat secret in critical stages. Not only critically developed process procedures, but compositions of resins, initiators, crosslinkers, polymerizing stages, etc, etc are very well kept secrets. Why reveal years of work testing and developing a process? Anyone claiming to "know" anyone's process is full of it and just blowing off.

A bit of history on wood impregnation might be helpful to those interested. Wood Polymer Composites using lumber really started in the early 1950's by President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" program designed to find peaceful uses for nuclear energy. A project under that program impregnated vinyl-group-containing monomers into wood and cured them with gamma radiation from Cobalt 60 produced in nuclear fission reactors. Do an eBay search for Cobalt 60 today and see how fast your phone line gets tapped. Obviously, a new, safer line of initiators have been developed as as resin basis. Many combinations of chemicals (some safe and some not) can be mixed. Most result in unsatisfactory results, but some work great. Some industry standard impregnating resins are not very stable and can explode or result in rapid uncontrolled catastrophic self-polymerization. I do not recommend anyone try this at home. I have searched long and hard for environmentally responsible chemicals for my process and am confident I'm using the best available in today's market.

Paul, I don't understand why you would consider coating my board with a thin film of traditional wood finish that is less hard and less durable than my acrylized board itself. I'm not sure how a bass tone can be predicted by the addition of about 2 dry mills of finish vs. unfinished on a bass not yet built. Specialty Polymers does suggest their processed wood be covered by a traditional wood finish to prevent staining, but why? If the wood fibers are fully encased in resin staining should not be a problem. My acrylic wood certainly does not stain. Here's a photo of the maple board Bee Bass used on Stew McKinsey's bass that spent two weeks underwater in New Orleans. A before buffing photo as it came out of the water and dried and a photo after I did a quick buff on it. No grain raising and no stains.... Do not put a finish over my Acrylized boards..it doesn't need it.

If you have any specific questions regarding my Acrylized wood products please ask them on my forum or send me an email for accurate, correct answers..thanks..